A Family Under the Christmas Tree (10 page)

He proceeded to his own room and changed out of his suit into comfortable jeans, a thermal shirt similar to the one he'd laid out for Troy this morning, and tennis shoes. After carefully hanging up his suit, he walked to the kitchen for a glass of orange juice and stopped abruptly.

Not only was the kitchen spotless, but the living room had been cleared of the clutter and vacuumed. He could see the grooves from the vacuum machine in the carpet leading up to a new large square toy chest that was pushed up against the wall near the television. Acid churned in his stomach. The coffee and slice of zucchini bread he'd eaten at the office suddenly felt like a weight in his gut.

A tented note on the dining room table drew his attention. He read the note left in Sophie's swirling handwriting. She and Troy were next door with Louise and Riggs, and David was to come on over when he was ready.

Shaking his head, he crumpled the note and stuffed it into his pocket, and then headed next door.

“Come in!” Louise called at his knock.

He stepped inside and was grateful for the warming temperature since he'd forgotten to grab a jacket. Thankfully the morning rain had abated.

“David, how was your meeting?” Louise asked. She stood at the kitchen counter with her foot propped up on the rung of a stool.

“Really good.” He leaned against the counter. “Where's Sophie and Troy?”

“
Took Riggs for a walk.” She lifted her foot from the stool and hopped to her wheelchair.

David rushed to help her. “Should you be doing that? Standing, I mean.”

“Oh, it's fine. I can't sit all the time.”

He took a seat on the couch across from her.

“Is something bothering you?”

He rubbed his palms on his thighs. She was perceptive. Or else he was transparent. “Sophie cleaned the house. She even bought a toy chest.”

Louise's eyebrows rose. The expression so much like Sophie's he could only stare.

“And that's a problem because . . . ?” she prompted.

“Not a problem exactly. It wasn't part of our agreement.” The weight of obligation pressed down on his chest.

“Oh. There was an agreement. Interesting. What exactly was in the agreement?”

He sighed. “It wasn't a formal thing.” He rubbed the back of his neck, where tension tightened the muscles.

“Well, I'll leave it to you to discuss that with Sophie,” Louise said. She cocked her head. “I think I hear them coming back now.”

There was no mistaking Riggs's happy bark and Troy's squeal of delight or Sophie's lilting laughter. Eagerness to see Sophie rose within him. He tamped it down and instead focused on seeing Troy as the door opened. Riggs raced inside and headed straight to Louise for slobbery kisses. Troy came in next, looking so full of life. David's throat closed and he had to swallow to get the lump of emotion to go down. Troy stopped just inside the entryway and took off his shoes to carefully place them by the door.

David's mouth fell open with surprise, but he snapped his
mouth shut as Sophie entered and did exactly the same thing with her shoes.

“Uncle David!” Troy rushed to him in his socks. He wore the jeans and thermal shirt David had set out for him this morning.

David caught Troy in his arms and hugged him tight. He smelled clean and fresh like the outdoors. Troy's cold nose pressed against his neck. “Did you have a good time?”

He beamed, his eyes sparkling. “The best!”

David met Sophie's gaze. His heart did a little flip at the tender welcome he saw in her eyes.

She smiled. “How did it go today?”

“Well. Very well.” Afraid she'd see the effect she had on him, he looked away to set Troy down. Then cleared his throat as he gathered his composure. He lifted his gaze back to Sophie. “Uh, can I talk to you in private?”

Her pretty eyes widened. “Sure.”

“Troy, why don't you and I get a snack,” Louise said, rolling into the kitchen. Troy happily followed her.

Knowing how easily conversations could be overheard in the house, David gestured toward the front door. Sophie nodded, stuck her feet back into her boots, and preceded him to the front porch. Before David could shut the door behind him, Riggs darted past him and out to the fenced front yard.

David ran a hand through his hair as he sought how to say what he needed to say. “Look, I appreciate that you're watching Troy. I can't express how grateful I am.”

She leaned against the porch post. “We had fun.”

He frowned and dove into what was bothering him. “You cleaned my house. You bought a toy chest.”

She canted her head. “Yes.”

“You didn't
have to do that. I hadn't expected you to do housekeeping, too.”

She shrugged off his concern. “I know. It was no big deal to do some cleaning.”

It was to him. “I don't need a maid.”

She frowned. “Troy helped me. It's important that Troy learn to pick up after himself and help out around the house.” She shrugged, clearly puzzled. “I didn't think you'd mind the toy box. If you don't like it, I can take it back. I kept the receipt.”

“It's not that I don't like it. I do. It's beautiful.” Like her. He didn't like seeing the aggravated look in her eyes and hated worse knowing he'd put it there. But she didn't understand and he couldn't bring himself to explain.

“Did I overstep? I apologize.”

Now she was apologizing and he should be the one groveling at her feet with gratitude. “No, you didn't overstep. It was very thoughtful. And you're right, I need to be more diligent about teaching Troy to take care of his things.” He let out a dry laugh. “You must think I'm such a slob.”

“Not at all,” she replied in a cool tone.

“You're too kind.” Kinder than he deserved. “I'll get Troy and we'll get out of your hair.” He whistled and Riggs came running to his side. He petted Riggs behind the ear. “Wow, I wasn't sure if that would work.”

“Who knew?” she quipped, but there was no smile to accompany her words. He'd hurt her feelings. Best to escape quickly before he totally blew it and alienated her altogether.

Sophie's
heart ached as she watched through the front window the Murphy boys head home. David was upset because she'd cleaned his house and worked with Troy on being disciplined to pick up after himself. She'd thought David would be pleased to come home to find the house neat. His response had stung.

She let out a frustrated huff. For a moment there, she'd thought they shared a connection. She'd seen the look of wonder and pure joy in David's eyes as he held Troy in his arms and hugged him close. And that look had spilled over to her, making her feel special and a part of their world.

The little family they were forming.

A bond she'd always secretly craved.

She should have known better.

She had to get a grip. She wasn't staying. There was no sense in growing close to either one of them. She'd only be setting herself up for heartbreak. No, thank you.

“Okay, spill it,” Grandma said. She'd moved to her recliner and had taken the brace off her ankle so she could do the exercises the doctor had given her to do.

Taking a seat on the floor next to the recliner, Sophie made a face. “Men. I don't get them sometimes.”

“The housecleaning?”

“He said something to you about it, too?”

“It wasn't part of your agreement.”

Sophie let out a sigh. “Agreement. We didn't have an agreement.” She picked at the carpet. “I don't know, Grandma. David confuses me. One minute I think we have this connection, and then the next he's pulling away.”

“Maybe he's as scared as you are.”

Her gaze snapped up. “What do you mean, ‘scared'? I'm not scared of anything. I've traveled the world. I've gone into war
zones and jungles and have dealt with wild animals and movie stars.”

Grandma flexed her foot and extended it. “Yes, but when it comes to love, you tend to find the nearest exit.” She chuckled.

“Excuse me? I'm not the one who bailed in my past relationships.”

“You don't think flying off to foreign lands is a form of bailing?” Grandma arched an eyebrow. “You don't think turning down a proposal is a form of bailing?”

Sophie grimaced. She had confided in Grandma about her failed relationships. “
You are too flighty
,” Jason had said when she wouldn't move in with him. The label didn't sit well with her. She took her responsibilities seriously.

“
You are commitment-shy
,” Andrew had claimed when she'd turned down his proposal.

He'd wanted her to give up her career. The one commitment she didn't have a problem making.

She knew they weren't right. But she also knew she needed to be careful.

She blew out another frustrated huff. “You sound like Mom.”

Maybe Grandma and Mom were both right. Maybe subconsciously she hadn't wanted those relationships to last.

“Well, she was smart enough to marry your father, so I'll take that as a compliment.” Grandma rolled her ankle slowly in circles. “Give David a break. This is all new to him.”

“Allowing someone to do something nice for him is new to him?”

Grandma made a face. “I don't know about that. Though it might be something you'll want to ask him. But I would imagine suddenly having to be a father figure while running a company must be very stressful.”

“Yes. It's
all sorts of change at once. He's working on a really neat app for smartphones that could change people's lives.”

“You sound impressed.”

“I am.” More than impressed. Attracted, too. A flutter of anxiety hit her and she put a hand on her tummy.

Grandma pinned her with a knowing look. “You like him.”

“Sure.” She narrowed her gaze. “But
like
is a far cry from
love
, Grandma.”

“But it's a start.”

No, it wasn't. Sophie wouldn't let it be. She wasn't going to fall in love with David. She wasn't staying here.

But she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she'd miss them all. Especially a certain enigmatic man who made her pulse pound and put a yearning in her heart that she couldn't accept.

D
avid sat at his desk deep into coding his app. The house was dark except for the dining room light. Rain splattered the windows. The heater had kicked on a little while ago to chase away the chilly air. Snow was predicted for Christmas. David wasn't optimistic about the chances of that. This part of the state of Washington rarely saw the white stuff, but it wasn't totally unheard of, just unlikely.

Troy had fallen asleep a few hours earlier. Though exhausted from his day with Sophie and Riggs, he'd been full of stories about Riggs's antics and Sophie and all the fun they'd had together. Troy thought the world of Sophie.

David didn't blame him. She was pretty special. Troy had been so proud about helping Sophie clean house that guilt crept up David's spine.

He'd settle up with Sophie on Friday. He'd cut her a check for her time and then he'd feel better. A nagging voice scratched
at his consciousness, saying Sophie might not be pleased. He shoved the thought aside. But wasn't able to put away the unease itching at him. He'd have to apologize to her. Again.

He shook his head, trying to stay focused on his work. But Sophie crept into his thoughts every few minutes.

He blew out a frustrated breath and got up to get a cup of coffee.

A soft knock at the front door stopped him in his tracks. He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearly midnight. Who would be knocking at this hour?

He opened the front door to find Sophie standing on the other side, looking drenched from the pouring rain. She was wearing a hooded rain slicker that cast a shadow over her face. Her shoulders were hunched and her arms clutched at her stomach. Concern chomped through him. “Sophie? Is everything okay?”

“Yes. Grandma and I and Riggs are fine. Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I saw the light on and figured you were still up,” she said with clattering teeth.

He needed to get her inside and out of the cold fast. “Come in before you freeze.” He stepped back and she entered. If everything was okay, why was she here?

She shivered as he helped her out of the wet rain slicker. Beneath the slicker she had a silver laptop pressed to her chest. “I was hoping you'd be able to help me. I was uploading my photos from Gran Canaria and my computer wigged out.”

He led her to the dining room table and took the laptop from her shaking hands. “Here, let me get you a cup of hot coffee or tea. Or hot cocoa. Troy loves hot cocoa.”

“Do you have any herbal tea?” She followed him into the kitchen. “I don't
want the caffeine this late in the night.” She eyed the half-full pot of coffee in the coffeemaker. “Apparently you do.”